A/N: So I realize it has been a long time since I have updated. Running a coffee shop is more time consuming than I thought it would be. I don't really remember what free time is like anymore. I will get new chapters up when I can, but unfortunately there will be a bit of a wait between chapters. I managed to update my other story not too long ago and now I am updating this one. Hopefully this was worth the wait.
Ch. 10 Showdown
Jack was still being held by Clark and they were almost upon Zod's fortress. Normally Clark could have gotten there in no time at all, but he didn't want to go too fast and risk Jack's life even if the captain was immortal.
"What will you do once this is all over?"
"I need to start making amends with the people of this planet. I don't know if anyone here will ever be able to forgive me, but I have to try. My only wish is that they don't know my human identity. I wouldn't want anyone to try coming after my friends or family because they are unable to get to me."
"Doing the right thing is never easy, but I think the people of this planet will forgive you."
"You are a friend of the Doctor, so you must be a good guy. Making the right choices can't be too difficult since the Doctor only chooses the best."
"I am sure the Doctor told you I was conman when I first met him. I helped him out and he took me aboard the TARDIS. The Doctor made me a better person and I try to do the right thing now, but I am only human and we all make mistakes. You may be from another planet and have special powers, but you too are only human. We do what we can to help, but there is only so much we can do and what you did wasn't even your fault."
"That actually makes me feel a lot better. I will put my personal life on hold and focus on doing all I can for this planet."
"That's dumb. You deserve happiness and Lois will understand when you suddenly have to fly off to save the day."
"What if someone learns about my connection to Lois?"
"She knows what she is getting into. You have to trust her decision and not make a decision for her."
"Easier said than done. First we need to defeat Zod. We need to stop the friendly discussion now. We are about to get within Zod's hearing range. Chances are he won't be listening in, but one can never be too careful."
"Was it really necessary to kidnap me? If you wanted to have some fun all you had to do was ask."
"You will be silent. You are a prisoner of the Kryptonians and you will remain silent if you don't wish to be executed again."
Clark hated speaking like that to Jack, but he knew that Zod could be listening in. They were now almost upon the fortress. He would respond to Jack, but he wished the man would just be silent. Clark needed to get into the right mindset if he had any hope of fooling Zod. Clark shifted his grip on the Captain so that he was just holding Jack by the collar of his coat instead of making the flight comfortable like he had been. As they approached Zod's fortress, Clark quickly swooped in and tossed Jack across the floor made of ice. Jack slid across the floor and ended up at Zod's feet.
"You couldn't have let me down gently?" Jack asked as he looked back at Clark before standing up and facing Zod. "You should teach your henchman some better manners. There wasn't even a snack on the flight. Never will I fly Kryptonian airways again no matter how attractive the pilot was." Jack brushed the bits of ice off of his beloved jacket and looked around the fortress. "Nice place you have here. Bit too cold for my liking."
"You will be silent and kneel before the ruler of your pathetic planet,"demanded Zod. "Kal-el, why have you brought this man to me?"
"This human came to America at the request of the alien known as the Doctor. He was causing problems and no matter how many times I executed him he kept coming back to life. I thought the best course of action would be to imprison him here to keep him from giving the humans hope or leading rebellions."
"That was smart thinking," said Zod. "Too smart for you. I gave no such orders for this man to be brought in and your programming does not allow you to think for yourself." Zod let out a quick burst of fire from his eyes and within a moment Jack was laying dead at his feet.
"I don't know what you thought you were doing by bringing Jack here, but it is obvious that you are no longer under my control. I will imprison Jack and kill him multiple times for my own amusement, but what should I do with you? You could have ruled by my side, but you let yourself be tampered with by those who aren't even our species. You try to be human when you are so much more than the filth on this planet."
Clark spared a quick glance at Jack and saw Jack give him a quick wink before closing his eyes and pretending to still be dead. "You will never understand humans since you never gave them a chance. You think they are beneath us, but they are so much more. The Doctor may not have our powers, but he is still powerful and he uses his special skills to save people and planets. He saved me from your influence. His intellect is more advanced than Krypton could ever dream of, but he never would have looked down on us like like you look down on humans. Humans are his favorite species because of their potential."
"The Doctor is a fool and so are you."
"There really is no hope for you, is there?"
"Did you really think you could come here and reason with me? Did you think I would see the error of my ways and give up this worthless planet?"
"I did have some small hope that you could change, but now I see that will never be possible." Clark suddenly flew at Zod and knocked him into an ice pillar. Clark wasn't sure he would get another chance to catch Zod off guard again and had to make this attack count. While Clark had Zod down, he threw his hardest punch at his foe who managed to dodge the attack just in time.
"My turn," said Zod who fired a blast of heat right into Clark's chest knocking him back. Zod approached Clark and lifted him in the air by the neck before slamming in back into the grounded and followed up with a kick to the ribs.
Clark was used to being the most powerful person around and had never had any special training. He knew that Zod had been a general. Even though Zod had not had his powers for as long as Clark, he was still the better fighter. Clark was beginning to tire out and lose consciousness the more Zod continued to beat him. He knew he couldn't let Zod win, and that single thought is what was currently keeping him from passing out.
Suddenly Clark was feeling weak. The weakness was in part due to the beating he was currently taking, but he could also feel the effects of Kryptonite. He glanced to his side and saw that Jack had pulled a dagger made of Kryptonite out of his lead lined coat. He could see that Zod had also noticed the addition of the lethal rock to the atmosphere. Zod stopped his attack on Clark and turned to face Captain Jack.
"You think one puny dagger will be enough to defeat me?"
"Maybe not, but it should even the playing field."
"You are also weakening your ally who is already in bad shape. Keep that out much longer and Kal-el will perish. You will be stuck out here."
"You were never going to let him live anyways." Jack rushed Zod who could no longer move at super speed and began slashing at the invader with the Kryptonite dagger. He managed to get a few good slashes in, but even in his weakened state, Zod was still a formidable fighter. He would not be taken down easily by a small dagger.
"Was this your only plan of attack? Kal-el has never been in a war. He has never had to face someone without the use of his powers. My skills in combat still surpass your puny attempts."
"Don't underestimate good old fashioned human persistence or our love of weapons," said Jack dropping the dagger and pulling out his typical gun with Kryptonite bullets in one hand and his Kryptonite ray gun in the other.
"You really think a gun can hurt me?"
"I think this one will." Jack fired the ray gun and hit Zod in the chest with a beam of concentrated Kryptonite.
Zod was left gasping on the ground with the injury to his chest. He didn't think any human could possibly defeat him. "You are a friend of Kal-el and that peace loving Time Lord. You won't kill me."
"Don't be so sure," said Jack before firing off a couple of Kryptonite bullets directly into Zod's head. A moment later the enemy was lying dead at his feat. Jack pocketed the guns and finally the dagger. He walked over to Clark to check on the young man. Thankfully Clark was still breathing. Jack helped him up into a sitting position.
"We are stuck here until my strength comes back. Thanks for backing me up and not being afraid to make the hard decisions."
"Just doing my job."
"We still have Zod's followers to worry about."
"Those two didn't seem too bright. I don't think they will be much of a threat without Zod. We will get a message across to them as soon as you strong enough."
"We need to contact them now. We can't let them harm anyone else just because I am not at my best right now. Zod should have a Kryptonian communicator on him still."
Jack walked back over to Zod's body and saw what Clark was talking about after a quick search. He had worked with enough alien technology to be able to figure out how to work the device and sent out a message. "This is Captain Jack Harkness speaking to you live from Zod's fortress. Hate to break it to you over the phone, but your leader is dead. You can either come here and face the same fate or you can pack up your things and leave and never come back. Your choice. Just know that if you two do decide to fight, than you have to fight both Kal-el and myself. If we were able to easily take down your leader, than think about how easily the two of you could be defeated. I have eyes and ears everywhere so if you end up wreaking havoc on another planet, know that I will find out and stop you two. Best to just go and live your lives peacefully. Captain Jack signing out."
"Do you really have eyes and ears everywhere out there?"
"I have slept with enough species in this Universe and left a good impression that they would gladly pass on some information to me. There is also the Doctor who is always traveling around the Universe who would soon find out if they tried anything." A moment later the communicator beeped signaling a reply.
"Your terms are acceptable. We will leave this planet at once. All we request is safe passage to retrieve our belongings and the body of General Zod and then we will leave for good."
"Safe passage granted."
Jack had helped Clark get to some sunlight and in no time at all Clark was feeling much better than he had. He wasn't back to normal, but he didn't look so sickly anymore. Jack left him outside of the fortress while he reloaded his gun and made sure he was prepared for anything. Jack would say he wouldn't have survived this long if he wasn't always prepared, but that would be a lie since he had died many times. Eventually Clark walked back into the fortress.
"I hear them approaching."
"Well let's be ready for our guests."
A moment later the two Kryptonians flew into Zod's fortress. The first thing they spotted was Zod's body. They had hoped that the news of his death had been a lie, but this was all the proof they needed. Ursa was upset at the loss of Zod. "Which one of you murdered our leader?"
"That would be me, gorgeous," said Jack with a wink.
"How could a pathetic human kill someone as great at General Zod?"
Jack ignored her question since he didn't want to give away his secret weapons. He blinked once and suddenly Non was on the ground with Clark holding him there. He was still surprised by how fast these Kryptonians could move. He had merely blinked and missed an attack. He pulled out his gun and shot Non while Clark was still holding him down. "Now you are the only one left. Are you going to do the smart thing and leave or end up like these two?"
"Besides Kal-el, I am the only Kryptonian left. What is left for me?"
"Not my problem."
"You are condemning me to a life of solitude or death."
"I have lived a good life on this planet," said Clark. "I was the only Kryptonian here and I have a good life here. Now that Zod is not controlling your every move you can do the same somewhere else. Find a planet that you can be happy on, Ursa. Make friends and don't try to conquer anyone and you will be fine."
"I'll try," said a resigned Ursa. She wanted to be done with this planet anyways and didn't want to die. She would accept her banishment and make the most of it. "I'll be on my way." She then walked away and a few minutes later they saw a ship streaking through the air.
"Be right back," said Clark who flew up into the air and followed the ship's path as it left Earth. He wanted to make sure the ship didn't change course and return to Earth. Eventually he came back down after soaking up more sunlight and feeling like his old self again.
Jack had been burying the fallen Kryptonians while Clark had been away. He heard Clark return and proceeded to walk over to the fortress console after glancing back at Clark. "Do you know how to destroy this fortress? It is similar to your own fortress, right?"
"I will take care of it before we go. I guess it is time to get back and let everyone know the outcome."
"Don't go to Metropolis dressed the way you are. You need to look like a symbol for hope, not death."
"You and the Doctor won't join me will you?"
"I can't speak for the Doctor, but we try to keep under the radar unless we have to."
"In that case I have a proposition for you."
"I like the sound of that. I'm sure we have time before we have to go."
"Not that. I wanted to ask you if you would consider taking over Area 51 where the Doctor and I were imprisoned?"
"I can't. I have Torchwood to get back to."
"Can't Area 51 become Torchwood. There are alien threats and I know the Doctor returned the peaceful aliens to where they belong. Not everyone there was friendly. You are someone who could distinguish between the good and the bad. You wouldn't run terrible experiments on them. That place could become one that helps and not just tortures."
"Give me time to think about it. Maybe if the Doctor fixes my teleporter I would consider your offer."
Clark set the self destruct on the fortress and flew Jack off to his own fortress. Jack was right that he would need a new outfit before going to face the human race and there was the perfect outfit waiting for him at his own fortress.
They arrived at the fortress and the voice of Jor-el rung out loud and clear throughout the fortress ."I am sorry you had to face such trials, my son, but I am grateful that Zod and his followers are gone. Captain Jack, I thank you for your assistance. Please tell the Doctor that I appreciate him helping my son. I regret the programming that I place in Kal-el's mind. I never knew that Zod would be able to control him."
"I'm not sure I will ever forgive you for what you did to me and allowed to be done to me," said Clark to empty air. "I know you think you do what is best for me, but I need to be my own person and make my own decisions. I will allow you to train me more in the future, but it has to be on my own terms."
"I can agree to that," said Jor-el. "I know why you are here and you may have what you seek."
A pillar of ice rose from the ground revealing a blue suit with the symbol of the house of El on the front along with a red cape and red boots. Clark removed the suit and put it on at super speed. He heard an appreciative whistle coming from Jack's direction and did his best to ignore the Captain.
"Ready?" Clark finally asked Jack.
"As I'll ever be," was Jack's response before Clark picked up on shot off into the sky. Once they arrived back at the farm, Clark set Jack down and they both walked into the house.
"Nice suit," was Lois' response when she saw Clark. She didn't know what else she could say to really get across how glad she was that he was alive. Him being alive could only mean that Zod had been defeated.
"Are we safe?" Martha asked her son.
The Doctor knew that Clark and Jack must have won and it didn't need saying. "You're safe for the moment, but there is always something nasty attacking this planet. This place is attracting all sorts of attention. There is always going to be threats coming here, so no not safe, but if it makes you feel better, then yes you are safe, but not really."
"Okay, way to be a downer," said Chloe. Everyone minus the Doctor, Clara, and Jack rushed forward and hugged Clark and gave Jack a pat on the shoulder on their way to Clark.
"So what happened?" The Doctor asked Jack while the others were having their reunion.
"Clark got beat up pretty bad by Zod after I took a heat blast to the chest and was out for awhile. I shot Zod and he is dead. We were going to give his followers a chance to leave the planet, but one decided on attacking. Shot him too. We let the woman leave and Clark followed her ship's progress to make sure she actually left. She is all alone now so we don't think she will be a problem. Besides Clark, she is the only Kryptonian left. I actually think she is going to make an effort to not be so terrible"
"Hopefully I will never hear anything about her ever again. She should go live a quiet life."
"Maybe she will help the next place she end up. Being the last of your species seems to be a requirement to being a great hero. Look at you and Clark."
"Maybe," said the Doctor. "Clark, we need to get you to Metropolis. You have a speech to make."
"Will you come with me?"
"I'll watch from the crowd, but I don't want any attention. Don't want there to be too many aliens around at the moment."
"Thank you for everything, Doctor."
Clark flew off to Metropolis while the Doctor invited everyone aboard his TARDIS to go watch from the crowd that was bound to gather when Clark appeared saying he had an announcement to make.
Clark flew right to the middle of the city and saw people out and about. Everyone looked frightened, but they had learned his pattern. When he was under Zod's control he would patrol Metropolis in the evening and people had been allowed to roam around before the curfew started. There were various news crews arriving who had been called by Lois. Of course she would have the first article printed. She already had in ready to go before Clark had returned and dropped if off at the Daily Planet before joining the crowd that was gathering.
Clark was hovering above the crowd and suddenly didn't know what to say with so many cameras pointing at him and seeing everyone with frightened looks. "I want to start by apologizing."
"Is this a trick?" Some brave person from the crowd asked loud enough for Clark to hear.
"I can assure you this is no trick. My actions were not my own, but it was still me who did such atrocious acts and for that I apologize. I have never wanted to hurt anyone in my life. I may not have been born on this planet, but I have been here since my ship crashed here when I was a toddler. I grew up here and for many years I thought I was human. Well a human who for some reason had powers. My adoptive parents didn't tell me about my origins until I was 14 years old. I am one of you. I knew nothing about my heritage for a long time."
"Did your buddies just show up and make you throw everything human about yourself away?" Another random person in the crowd asked.
"Zod enslaved my mind. First he took away my memories and tried to make me believe that humans were evil. A good friend of mine tried to bring my memories back, but there was a trap set in my head that put me fully under Zod's control. This same friend managed to find a way to bring me back, but not before I had done such terrible things. Nothing can ever make up for what I did under Zod's control. A new friend and I teamed up and we defeated Zod and his minions. I am the only Kryptonian left now and my mind is my own."
"Who are these friends of yours? Are they aliens too?"
"One is an alien who has been coming to this planet for many years and has been helping without taking any credit. The other is a human from the future who gained immortality and is currently leading a secret alien fighting organization. Unfortunately that is the only information I can give. They may not want their identities revealed, but we all owe them our gratitude."
"What is going to happen now?"
"If you let me, than I wish to be this planet's protector. No more hiding for me. I am at your disposal."
"How can we ever trust you when we know what you are capable of? Do you think you shouldn't be punished just because you say that you were under Zod's control?"
"That is not who I am. What punishment could I possibly receive that would fit the crime? Why not let me do my best to keep all of you safe."
"Safe from monsters like you?"
Clark landed on the ground and sank to his knees. He knew people were still scared and he wanted to appear as nonthreatening as possible. "I kneel before the humans of Earth. Would Zod have ever knelt down to humans?"
Many in the crowd pulled out their own small pieces of Kryptonite that they had kept hidden. Even though some in the crowd were willing to give Kal-El a chance, many others wanted the final Kryptonian to suffer and eventually die.
The Doctor and Jack saw what was happening and decided they had to get involved or Clark would be killed. They rushed forward and stood in front of Clark, blocking him from the crowd. The people gathered were quick to pick up on their identities except for not knowing which one was which.
"Hello," said the Doctor with a quick wave. "Don't think you really want to do what you're thinking about doing. I'm a time traveler and I can tell you that killing Kal-el is a really bad idea."
"So the good looking one is the alien?"
"Hey now," said the Doctor. "He is just boring old human. I'm the alien. Am I not good looking?"
"Doctor, kind of trying not to be killed here," said Clark quietly from the ground.
"Right, sorry. Back on topic."
"Why do you come to Earth if not to destroy us?"
"I'm the last of my kind. I ran away from my own planet and it is gone now. Earth is like a second home to me and I have been coming here for many centuries. I don't think I'll ever get done saving you lot."
"Why didn't you warn us if you are a time traveler? Why didn't your friend warn us if he is from the future."
"Something happened that altered the time line. All of this was never meant to happen. I don't even know what the future will be like now. All I know is that Kal-el is the greatest hero that this planet will ever know. Despite what has happened, I still have hope that he can be forgiven and become the hero he is destined to become."
"How do we know he won't turn on us? How do we know that you won't?"
"Come on. I am over a thousand years old and have been coming here since I was young. Kal-el grew up with a good human family and is in love with a human woman. I made sure that no one can control his mind again. You can trust him."
"What name does he go by here on Earth? Obviously Kal-el is not a human sounding name."
"If I tell you, my family and friends must be left alone."
"Or else?"
"No, but they mean the world to me and I will protect them."
"We have nothing against fellow humans."
"I didn't learn of the name Kal-el until I was older. I'm not that old now to be honest. I am only 21 years old. I was given the name Clark Kent by my human family."
"Kent like the Senator?"
"I've seen that name in the newspapers. He writes for the Daily Planet."
"Martha Kent is my mother and I do write for the Daily Planet."
"The Kents found my spaceship after it came down in the first Smallville meteor shower. They are the best parents I could have ever hoped for. They raised me with good morals and even though they knew nothing about my origins they were always there for me and helped me to the best of their abilities when I would suddenly start developing a new power."
"Why did you come here?"
"My birth parents sent me in a spaceship to a planet where they thought I could fit in. Our two species look alike so they had high hopes. Our planet was at war at the same time the planet was dying. No one was allowed to leave, but my father was able to secretly build a small ship which left the planet just as it exploded. I thought I was the only survivor. My parents knew that I would gain special abilities on this planet that is so different from their own. It was their hope that I would use my powers to help this planet."
"How did you learn all of this?"
"My father made arrangements so that I could speak with him. I am only able to speak with an AI of him, but this is how I learned about my home planet and my name."
"He should be put on trial."
Clark hesitated when he heard someone mention a trial. It had been his hope that everyone would hear his story and accept what he had to say. He had been forced to reveal his identity and more details than he had wanted to give, but could he really face a trial? Clark realized he was still kneeling on the ground and slowly got back to his feet.
The crowd as one took a few steps back. Some of them thought that maybe they had gone too far. The alien had gotten off the ground at the sound of a trial. Could they even put an alien on trial? What could they really do to stop him if he decided he didn't like that idea? He had an immortal and another alien on his side and they were the ones who had taken down the other Kryptonians. Did the human race stand a chance against such powerful beings? These thoughts were racing through many people's minds. There were those who felt that this being should be given a shot at making amends. He had defeated the ones who were terrorizing them. If what he said was true, then he was as much a victim as the rest of them. What would any of them do if they suddenly had to do unspeakably evil acts against their will? It was safe to say that the crowd was definitely divided.
Clark was hurt when he saw people moving away from him. All he had ever wanted was to be accepted. He didn't want people to fear him. "I promise I am not going to hurt you. I will agree to a trial if that will make you all feel better."
Clara had remained silent and in the background throughout the whole ordeal. She traveled with the Doctor and was always there for him and others who were in need. Helping people was one of the reasons she loved traveling with the Doctor. Now was the time for her to step forward and do her part to help this new acquaintance. Clara walked forward and stood with the Doctor and Jack in front of Clark.
"Are you another alien?" Someone from the crowd yelled out to Clara.
"I'm just plain old regular human from this time period. I met the Doctor not too long ago and have been traveling with him to different planets and times. He has done so much good. He saved my life when we first met. Recently he said there was a great hero that we needed to rescue. This hero had been locked up in Area 51 and was being tortured everyday. This hero is Clark. I don't know him very well yet, but when Zod first arrived, he was about to kill this woman who had been torturing Clark. It would have been so easy for him to step aside and let his torturer be killed. Clark protected her and that shows just how selfless he is. Doesn't that say what kind of person he is? He wouldn't let a human who had imprisoned him and tortured him because he was an alien be killed. Isn't that the kind of person you can trust?"
"Thank you, Clara," said Clark from right behind her. He barely knew Clara, but she had tried to help him in Area 51 and she was doing the same thing again. It seemed like the Doctor really did choose his friends well. Clara hadn't actually seem him protect Doctor Gustav, but he assumed the Doctor had told Clara about that rescue. At Clara's words, he could see a change coming over some of the crowd who had been doubting him and his intentions.
"Shouldn't we be holding an official trial in a courtroom?" A reporter in the crowd suddenly asked. "Who are we to make a decision on behalf of the whole planet?"
"That is true and I am fully willing to stand trial, but I have one condition," said Clark to the reporter.
"What would that be?" The reported asked a little hesitantly since she hadn't expected the alien to speak directly to her.
"I will not be held in a prison cell until the trial happens. I need to start making up for what has been done and I can't do that from a cell. Plus the cell wouldn't even contain me so everyone would have to take my word that I would stay anyways. It is better for me to be out here helping to rebuild what has been destroyed. I will show up for the trial when the time comes."
"How did Area 51 contain you?"
"In a way that I am not going to let happen again. There methods for containing me included torture. Believe me when I say you all have nothing to fear from me. I will show up at the trial and I will do my best to help with rebuilding. This is how it has to be. My mother has not returned to Washington yet, but she along with those closest to me will be remaining with me in a secret location so that anyone who is against me can't get to me through them."
Clark quickly whispered a location to the Doctor before he proceeded to fly up into the air and away from the crowd. He intended to do what he had said and was on his way to get his mother and friends to safety. He didn't know how the trial would go, but he needed to make up for his actions and that of the last members of his species. All he could do was hope for the best and hope that the future that the Doctor and Jack spoke of would still come to pass.
A/N: Once again I am sorry for how long it took to get this chapter out. I felt like this would be a good place to end this chapter. Since I do have some free time today I am going to start working on chapter 11. I can't make any promises for when it will get posted, but at least it will be started today. I appreciate all who have stuck with this story. Thank you to all those who read, review, favorite, and follow.